Illuminated cooking range



Nov. 30, 1965 R. D. HODGSON 3,221,161

ILLUMINATED COOKING RANGE Filedl tpril 1; 1964 s sheets-sheet 1 INVENTOR. ROBfRT D. HODGSON TTORNE Y Nov. 30, 1965 R. D. HODGSON 3,221,161

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United States Patent C) 3,221,161 ILLUMINATED COOKING RANGE Robert D. Hodgson, Bloomfield Hills, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 1, 1964, Ser. No. 356,511 4 Claims. (Cl. 240--2.1)

This invention relates to ranges having top cooking sufaces and more particularly to an improved range back splash and control panel arrangement thereon.

For the sake of safety, especially in households having small children, it is obviously desirable to have the control knobs on a range or the like located rearwardly and on top of the range unit out of arms reach of children. While several arrangements have been suggested to so locate such control knobs, it has been found that the presence of such control kno'bs at a location on the top rear of the range normally interferes with ease in quickly and completely cleaning the back splash panel on the range.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an improved compactly arranged, multi-control panel assembly for association with a range forming a part of the rear back splash panel thereof and including the control knobs at the .top rear of the range and dial or indicia means movable by the control knobs in a common viewing field formed in part by a vertically disposed viewing window formed as a smooth continuation of the rear back splash of the range unit for ease in removing splatter therefrom without upsetting control knob settings.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide such an improved control panel assembly wherein improved means are provided therein to illuminate the indicia carrying dials from a single source of illumination located rearwardly of the control panel and wherein the drive mechanism between the control knobs and indicia carrying dial plates is constructed and arranged to avoid shadows in the field of vision of the plurality of indicia carrying dials.

.Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred embodiment of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a view in top elevation of a cooklng range including the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary view in side elevation of the range of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged view in front elevation showing the improved back splash and control panel assembly of the present invention; and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view in vertical section taken along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

Referring now to the drawings, in FIGURE 1 a freestanding domestic range is illustrated of the type having an outer cabinet including side walls 12, 14, a front wall 16 and a cooking top 18. Within the cooking top 18 suitable surface heating units, for example, electrical resistance elements or gas burners, may be suitably arranged for heating articles. The illustrated arrangement also includes an oven accessible through the front wall 16 by pivotally moving a suitable door closure element downwardly by grasping a horizontally directed handle 20 secured thereto.

In accordance with certain of the principles of the present invention, an upper extension 22 of the front wall 16 is integrally formed with the cooking top 18 which is in turn integrally formed with an upwardly directed back splash panel 24 whereby the extension 22, cooking top 18 and back splash 24 form a smooth, substantially uninterrupted surface extending completely across the width of the range unit 10 from front to back thereof. It will be noted that the smooth surface defined thereby is uncluttered by control knobs or other parts of the stove other than for the surface heating units and as a result, any food splatter from articles heated by the surface units, or the like, is easily cleaned off the range.

Another feature of the present invention is that rear- Wardly of the top portion of the domestic range is located an improved unitary control panel enclosure 26 having a front transparent window 28 directed substantially the full width of the domestic range at a point above the upwardly directed back splash 24 so as to form an extension thereof from which food splatter or the like can also be readily cleaned.

Within the control panel enclosure 26 extends a dividing panel having an upwardly and forwardly inclined upper portion 32 and a downwardly and forwardly inclined lower portion 34 serving to divide the enclosure 26 into a control mechanism and lighting compartment 36 and a forwardly located indicia containing compartment 38. The panels 32, 34 are formed from a suitably translucent material that serves to diffuse light from a source of illumination in the rearward compartment 36 representatively illustrated as including a horizontally disposed elongated florescent tube 40 mounted at either end thereof in suitable sockets 42 that are fixedly secured to an upwardly pivotable panel 44 which, when in an open position as best illustrated in dotted lines in FIGURE 4, locates the florescent tube for ready replacement.

The forwardly and downwardly directed divider panel portion 34 includes a plurality of openings 46 spaced thereacross for receiving indicating discs 48 having an inclined face visible through the front window 28 with suitable indicia thereon located with respect to a suitable indicator 50 on the outwardly and upwardly directed panel 32.

Each of the discs 48 has a depending spindle 52 thereon rotatably received within a sleeve bearing 54 secured to a suitable fixed bracket 56 within compartment 36. A spur gear 58 secured to the spindle 52 is operatively engaged with an idler gear 60 on bracket 56 and gear 60 in turn is operatively associated with a spur gear 62 fixedly secured for rotation to a shaft 64 of a suitable control switch 66 for conditioning an operative component of the domestic range 10 such as one of the surface heater units thereof. The shaft 64 of the switch 66 has the outboard end thereof secured to the end of an elongated upwardly and forwardly inclined shaft 68 having the uppermost end thereof fastened to a control knob 70 rotatably supported in a reinforcing member 72 secured at the top of the front window 28 and panel 32 for pivotal movement therewith into the position shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 4 whereby a user of the range can replace an individual bulb or light unit 74 supported on a suitable frame at a point adjacent and beneath each of the indicator dials for indicating whether a particular control is on or off by sharply illuminating a front window 76 aligned therewith in the panel 34.

In the illustrated arrangement each shaft 68 is of a transparent material that eliminates shadows on the diffgsing panel 32 and, accordingly, by virtue of the above described structure, an improved compact control arrangement is provided wherein a plurality of indicia carrying rotatable discs are visible in a common field and completely illuminated to avoid mistakes in interpreting the control position of any one of the switches 66.

Another feature of the improved control panel assembly 26 is that all of the control knobs 70 are located out of the reach of children and also are located so that they will not interfere with surfaces of the range that frequently receive grease splatter or the like. Furthermore, all of the indicia carrying dials and the like of the control panel are enclosed and protected by the viewing window 28 so that food particles, grease and the like will not become lodged therearound to present a cleaning problem.

By virtue of the improved range cabinet and control panel assembly combination, it will be appreciated that cleaning problems heretofore present in domestic appliances are substantially eliminated without sacrificing control dial indicating visibility or accessibility for adjustment thereof, and it will be further appreciated that the arrangement can be quickly assembled and disassembled for replacing the light sources therein or for the repair of switches or the like included within the rear machinery compartment 36.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In a domestic range the combination of, an outer cabinet, means forming a cooking top and back splash formed as a substantially uninterrupted continuous surface, a control panel enclosure supported on said outer cabinet rearwardly of said cooking top across substantially the full width thereof, said control panel enclosure including a front viewing window forming a substantially continuous upward extension of said back splash throughout its width for ease in cleaning, an indicator disc in said enclosure behind said viewing window, a source of illumination, a light transmittable panel between said disc and said source, reference means, means mounting said indicator disc for movement relative to said reference means and for illumination by said panel, a control knob rotatably supported on said enclosure at the top thereof, and means between said source of illumination and said panel for operatively connecting said control knob to said indicator disc including means for eliminating the casting of shadows on said light transmittable panel.

2. In a domestic range the combination of, an outer cabinet, means forming a front, cooking top and back splash formed as a substantially uninterrupted continuous surface, a control panel enclosure supported on said outer cabinet rearwardly of said cooking top across substantially the full width thereof, said control panel enclosure including a front viewing window forming a substantially continuous upward extension of said back splash throughout its width for ease in cleaning, an indicator disc in said enclosure behind said viewing window, a source of illumination, a light transmittable panel between said disc and said source, reference means, for mounting said indicator disc for movement relative to said reference means, a reinforcing strip directed across the top of said control panel enclosure having a portion thereof immediately above said viewing window, a control knob rotatably supported by said reinforcing strip, and means between said source of illumination and said panel for operatively connecting said control knob to said indicator disc including means for eliminating the casting of shadows on said light transmittable panel.

3. In a domestic range the combination of, an outer cabinet, a cooking top and back splash formed as a substantially uninterrupted surface from the front to the rear of the range and substantially across the full width thereof, a control panel enclosure supported on the rear of said outer housing including a transparent viewing window forming a vertical extension of said 'back splash through the width thereof for ease in cleaning, means forming an indicator compartment in said enclosure, 21 source of illumination directed across the width and rearwardly of said control panel enclosure, a translucent panel interposed between said source of light and said viewing window for diffusing light from said source throughout said indicator compartment, said diffusing panel serving to completely separate said indicating compartment from said rearwardly located light source, reference means on said panel within the field of vision of said window, a plurality of indicator discs within said indicator compartment spaced across the width thereof, means for rotatably mounting each of said indicator discs within said indicator compartment, a plurality of control knobs rotatably supported on the top of said enclosure, and means ineluding an elongated downwardly depending spindle shaft of transparent material located rearwardly of said panel for operatively connecting said control knobs to said indicator dials for rotative movement thereof relative to said reference means on said translucent diffusing panel.

4. A unitary control panel for association with a domestic range or the like comprising, means forming an enclosure, 21 panel for separating said enclosure into a first and a second compartment, one of said compartments having a transparent viewing window forming a side wall portion thereof, a. source of illumination in the other of said compartments, said panel diffusing light from said source throughout said one compartment, reference means on said panel in the field of vision of said window, an indicating disc within said one compartment, means for rotatably mounting said indicator disc for movement relative to said reference means, a reinforcing strip extending widthwise at the top of said control panel enclosure, a knob rotatably mounted in said reinforcing strip, and means for operatively connecting said rotatable knob to said indicating disc for rotation thereof with respect to said reference means, said interconnecting means including a transparent shaft between said source of light and said dividing panel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,374,497 4/ 1945 Pophal 24041 2,648,305 8/1953 Appleman 240-2.1 X 2,701,541 2/1955 Miller et al 2402.1 X 2,907,298 10/1959 Steinke 2402.1 X 2,932,019 4/1960 Pifer et al 116-124 X 3,086,493 4/1963 Bullard 1l6124 NORTON ANSHER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A DOMESTIC RANGE THE COMBINATION OF, AN OUTER CABINET, MEANS FORMING A COOKING TOP AND BACK SPLASH FORMED AS A SUBSTANTIALLY UNINTERRUPTED CONTINUOUS SURFACE, A CONTROL PANEL ENCLOSURE SUPPORTED ON SAID OUTER CABINET REARWARDLY OF SAID COOKING TOP ACROSS SUBSTANTIALLY THE FULL WIDTH THEREOF, SAID CONTROL PANEL ENCLOSURE INCLUDING A FRONT VIEWING WINDOW FORMING A SUBSTANTIALLY CONTINUOUS UPWARD EXTENSION OF SAID BACK SPLASH THROUGHOUT ITS WIDTH FOR EAE IN CLEANING, AN INDICATOR DISC IN SAID ENCLOSURE BEHIND SAID VIEWING WINDOW, A SOURCE OF ILLUMINATION, A LIGHT TRANSMITTABLE PANEL BETWEEN SAID DISC AND SAID SOURCE, REFERENCE MEANS, MEANS MOUNTING SAID INDICATOR DISC FOR MOVEMENT RELATIVE TO SAID REFERENCE MEANS AND FOR ILLUMINATION BY SAID PANEL, A CONTROL KNOB ROTATABLY SUPPORTED ON SAID ENCLOSURE AT THE TOP THEREOF, AND MEANS BETWEEN SAID SOURCE OF ILLUMINATION AND SAID PANEL FOR OPERATIVELY CONNECTING SAID CONTROL KNOB TO SAID INDICATOR DISC INCLUDING MEANS FOR ELIMINATING THE CASTING OF SHADOWS ON SAID LIGHT TRANSMITTABLE PANEL. 